Combustion gas recirculating turbine engine

ABSTRACT

An axial flow turbine is journalled within a housing having a manifold divided to form combustion and steam generating chambers mounted thereon. The exhaust ports of chambers are connected by tubing and communicate with the forward end of the housing. A turbine driven fan supplies air and fuel is supplied by a turbine driven pump to the intake ports of the combustion chambers. A portion of the gas exhaust and steam passing through the turbine is recirculated through the steam generating chambers. The major portion of the exhaust gas and steam from the turbine is discharged through a heat excahnger in a fluid containing chamber in communication, by piping, with the steam generating chambers.

United States Patent 1 June 19, 1973 Falk [ COMBUSTION GAS RECIRCULATING TURBINE ENGINE [76] Inventor: David E. Falk, 3974 Norton Avenue,

Oakland, Calif. 94602 [22] Filed: Apr. 5, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 241,168

[52] US. Cl. 60/3918 B, 60/3952, 60/3954 [51] Int. Cl. F02c l/04 [58] Field of Search 60/3954, 39.52,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,832,194 4/1958 Kuhner 60/3918 B 2,675,672 4/1954 Schorner 60/3918 B 3,298,176 1/1967 Forsyth et a]... 60/3952 3,335,565 8/1967 Aguet 60/39.l8 B

Primary Examiner-Carlton R. Croyle Assistant Examiner-Warren Olsen Attorney-Robert K. Rhea [57] ABSTRACT An axial flow turbine is journalled within a housing having a manifold divided to form combustion and steam generating chambers mounted thereon. The exhaust ports of chambers are connected by tubing and communicate with the forward end of the housing. A turbine driven fan supplies air and fuel is supplied by a turbine driven pump to the intake ports of the combustion chambers. A portion of the gas exhaust and steam passing through the turbine is recirculated through the steam generating chambers. The 'major portion of the exhaust gas and steam from the turbine is discharged through a heat excahnger in a fluid containing chamber in communication, by piping, with the steam generating chambers.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JUN 1 9 75 SHEET, 2 0F 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention.

The present invention relates to turbine engines and more particularly to a turbine engine powered by a continuous flow of combustion exhaust gases and steam generated by the heat of the combustion chambers.

Turbine engines, such as gas turbine engines, usually employes a self driven air compressor for supplying air to support combustion with the compressed air flow preheated by convection from the exhaust gases leaving the turbine.

This invention is distinctive over conventional gas turbine engines by recirculating a portion of the exhaust gases leaving the turbine through a steam generating chamber supplied with hot water from a reservoir with the generated steam coacting with the combustion gases in driving an axial flow turbine. The remaining combustion gases and steam leaving the turbine are circulated through a heat exchanger in a water reservoir for supplying hot water to the steam chambers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A cylindrical housing coaxially journals an axial flow turbine having a series of rows of diametrically reduced turbine blades at its forward end portion. A longitudinally extending manifold is mounted on the housing and includes a pair of spaced-apart combustion chambers, each having forward exhaust ports communicating with a combustion gas distributor coaxially connected to the forward end of the housing. The distributor chamber is provided with a circumferential row of tubes directing combustion gases toward the rearward end portion of the turbine. A fan, driven by the rearward end of the turbine, supplies air to the combustion chambers inlet ports. A turbine driven pump, at the forward end of the housing, supplies a fuel to the combustion manifold air supply. Glow plugs fire the combustion mixture. A pair of juxtaposed steam generating chambers are interposed between the combustion chambers and are connected at their forward outlets to piping entering the distributing chamber and provided with a circumferential row of outlet tubes directing steam toward the diametrically reduced forward end of the turbine. The steam comingles with the combustion gases in axial flow through the rearward end of the turbine and a portion of this mixture of gases is exhausted to the rearward end of the steam generating chambers. The remaining portion of the mixed gases is exhausted through tubing and a-heat exchanger within a fluid reservoir. The fluid reservoir is connected by piping to the steam generating chambers.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a combustion gas and steam driven turbine engine recirculating a portion of the spent gases and steam.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the engine;

FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view, partially in elevation, taken substantially along the line 3- -3 of FIG. 1; and, I

2 FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, are vertical cross-sectional views taken substantially along the lines 4-4, 55 and 6-6 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

The reference numeral 10 indicates the engine, as a whole, comprising a turbine housing 12 having a bearing support 14 and fan housing 16 coaxially connected to its rearward end. A gas distributor 18 and gear housing 20 is coaxially connected to the forward end of the housing 12. The engine further includes a manifold 22 and fluid reservoir 78. The housing 12 coaxially contains a turbine 26 having its shaft 28 journalled by bearings 30 and 32 at its respective end portions. The turbine 26 is characterized by a coaxial series, four in the example shown, of radially spaced circumferential rows of blades or vanes 34 diametrically closely received by the inner wall surface of the housing 12. The turbine further includes a plurality, four in the example shown, of radially spaced circumferential rows of vanes 36 diametrically smaller than the vanes 34.

The manifold 22 extends longitudinally coextensive with the housing 12 and is provided adjacent its respective marginal sides with a pair of combustion chambers 38. A series of glow plugs 40,mounted on the manifold 22, ignits combustion gases contained by the chambers 38, as hereinafter explained.

The forward end of each combustion chamber 38 communicates with an elbow tube 42 which is connected with and communicates with the interior of the gas distributing chamber 18. The gas distributing chamber 18 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced tubes 44 extending longitudinally inward of the housing 12 adjacent its inner periphery and at least coextensive with the series of smaller diameter turbine vanes 36 for directing combustion gases in an axial flow manner against the series of turbine vanes 34. A fan 46, contained by the fan housing 16 and coaxially connected with the rearward end of the turbine shaft 28, receives air throughan air intake opening 48 and exhausts this air through an air exhaust port 50 to an air pipe 52 which is divided and extends longitudinally forward along respective sides of the manifold and communicates with the respective combustion chamber 38 through inlet ports 54.

The gear housing 20 contains angle gears 56 which drives a fuel pump P connected with a fuel supply, not shown, and is connected by tubing 58 to the air supply tubes 52 through a fuel spray nozzle 60 secured to each branch of the tube 52. The manifold 22 is further provided with a juxtaposed pair of steam generating chambers 62 interposed between the combustion chambers 38. The forward end of the respective steam chamber 62 is connected by tubes 64 to a steam distributor ring 66 within the gas distributing chamber 18. Short tubes 68, communicating with the steam ring 66 and circumferentially arranged around the forward bearing 30 directs steam toward the smaller diameter turbine vanes 36.

The bearing housing 14 is provided with a pair of sec ondary housing exhaust ports 70 which communicate with the rearward end of the respective steam generating chambers 62 by a pair of elbow-like tubes 72 for recirculating a portion of the spent exhaust gases and steam through the steam generating chambers. A pair of primary housing exhaust ports 74, formed in the bearing housing 14, releases a major portion of the spent exhaust gases and steam through exhaust pipes 76 which enter in spaced-apart relation the depending surface of a water containing reservoir 78 where the exhaust pipes are connected with a heat exchanger 80 for heating the water 82 contained by the reservoir. The reservoir 78 is connected by piping 84 to the rearward end portion of the steam generating chambers 62.

The gear housing 20 supports a conventional starter S for starting the motor. The rearward end of the turbine shaft 28 may be connected with a conventional automotive gear train or transmission T, or the like.

OPERATION In operation electrical energy is supplied from a source, not shown, to the glow plugs 40 and starter S. The starter turns the turbine wherein a fuel mixture is supplied to the combustion chambers 38 with the combustion gases passing through the gas distributing housing 18 and driving the turbine blades 34. Heat of combustion generates steam, by convection, within the steam generating chambers 62 which is directed toward the smaller turbine blades 36 by combustion gas flow. Heat required for steam generation is supplemented by spent exhaust gases and steam entering the steam generating chambers through the elbow tubes 72 while being additionally supplied with superheated water or steam from the reservoir 78 by exhaust gases being discharged through the reservoir.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability, therefore, I do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein.

I claim: 1. A combustion gas recirculating turbine engine, comprising:

a cylindrical housing having rearward end; a turbine coaxially joumalled by said housing,

said turbine having an elongated spindle projecting beyond the respective ends of said housing; a manifold longitudinally mounted on said housing,

said manifold having a pair of spaced-apart combustion chambers, said combustion chambers each having at least one inlet port and an outlet port; fuel mixture supply means connected with the combustion chamber inlet ports; a combustion gas distributor means providing communication between the combustion chamber outa forward end and a let ports and the forward end of said housing; glow plugs for burning the fuel mixture in said combustion chambers,

said manifold having a pair of juxtaposed steam generating chambers interposed between said combustion chambers,

said steam chambers each having an outlet and an inlet at their respective forward and rearward ends;

tubular steam conductors extending through said combustion gas distributor and providing independent communication between said steam chambers and the forward end of said housing;

return tubes providing communication between the rearward end portion of said housing and the inlet end of said steam chambers; and

reservoir means providing a supply of hot water for said steam chambers.

2. The turbine engine according to claim 1 in which said fuel supply means includes:

a fan coaxially connected with and driven by said spindle;

- an air supply pipe providing communication between said fan and the combustion chamber inlet ports;

a fuel pump driven by said spindle;

a fuel spray nozzle connected with each air supply pipe; and,

a fuel pipe connecting said pump with each said fuel spray nozzle.

3. The turbine engine according to claim 2 in which said turbine is characterized by a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart circumferentially rows of vanes,

a plurality of the rows of vanes adjacent the forward end of said housing being diametrically smaller than the remaining rows of vanes.

4. The turbine engine according to claim 3 and further including:

a plurality of circumferentially spaced combustion gas conductor tubes connected with said gas distributor means and arranged around the inner periphery of said housing and being at least coextensive with the reduced diameter portion of said turbine.

5. The turbine engine according to claim 4 in which said reservoir means includes:

a water containing reservoir;

a heat exchanger within saidreservoir;

exhaust pipes connecting the rearward end portion of said housing with said heat exchanger; and,

tubing connecting said reservoir with said steam generating chambers. 

1. A combustion gas recirculating turbine engine, comprising: a cylindrical housing having a forward end and a rearward end; a turbine coaxially journalled by said housing, said turbine having an elongated spindle projecting beyond the respective ends of said housing; a manifold longitudinally mounted on said housing, said manifold having a pair of spaced-apart combustion chambers, said combustion chambers each having at least one inlet port and an outlet port; fuel mixture supply means connected with the combustion chamber inlet ports; a combustion gas distributor means providing communication between the combustion chamber outlet ports and the forward end of said housing; glow plugs for burning the fuel mixture in said combustion chambers, said manifold having a pair of juxtaposed steam generating chambers interposed between said combustion chambers, said steam chambers each having an outlet and an inlet at their respective forward and rearward ends; tubular steam conductors extending through said combustion gas distributor and providing independent communication between said steam chambers and the forward end of said housing; return tubes providing communication between the rearward end portion of said housing and the inlet end of said steam chambers; and reservoir means providing a supply of hot water for said steam chambers.
 2. The turbine engine according to claim 1 in which said fuel supply means includes: a fan coaxially connected with and driven by said spindle; an air supply pipe providing communication between said fan and the combustion chamber inlet ports; a fuel pump driven by said spindle; a fuel spray nozzle connected with each air supply pipe; and, a fuel pipe connecting said pump with each said fuel spray nozzle.
 3. The turbine engine according to claim 2 in which said turbine is characterized by a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart circumferentially rows of vanes, a plurality of the rows of vanes adjacent the forward end of said housing being diametrically smaller than the remaining rows of vanes.
 4. The turbine engine according to claim 3 and further including: a plurality of circumferentially spaced combustion gas conductor tubes connected with said gas distributor means and arranged around the inner periphery of said housing and being at least coextensive with the reduced diameter portion of said turbine.
 5. The turbine engine according to claim 4 in which said reservoir means includes: a water containing reservoir; a heat exchanger within said reservoir; exhaust pipes connecting thE rearward end portion of said housing with said heat exchanger; and, tubing connecting said reservoir with said steam generating chambers. 